CHULA VISTA  Eastlake High School senior Jude Isbell envisions himself flying to the football in a Division I uniform, his long blond hair bouncing beneath his helmet as he makes a hit that sends tens of thousands of fans to their feet.

Growing the hair is a work in progress.

As for that Division I scholarship, his coach is confident that’s coming, too.

When not stalking the secondary as Eastlake’s strong safety, Isbell forms half of a formidable one-two combination at running back alongside junior Aaron Baltazar. But as versatile as he is on the field, Isbell may be more so off the gridiron.

Born in Canada, Isbell has been playing the drums “since he came out of the womb,” his father, Gary Isbell, said, pounding away at Tupperware near the family stereo while watching himself in the mirror.

The easygoing 17-year-old, who came to the United States at age 7, regularly plays at Spectrum Church, a nondenominational Christian church in Chula Vista where his father is a pastor and his mother, Kimberly Isbell, is also closely involved.

Jude Isbell said he tries to make good decisions that are true to his beliefs.

Then there is his football side.

“I’m a nice guy outside, but on the field, I’m a different person,” he said. “I would say I’m mean on the field. I’ll hit you. I’m not going to talk about it, but I’ll hit you and get up. I’ll go hard every play. I definitely flip the switch when we’re lifting, too. I go hard when we do our workouts.”

Isbell’s athleticism has blossomed since he began a strength and conditioning program in January under personal trainer Bob Foley.

The two worked out three times a week at the Gonzalez Sports Academy in Chula Vista, and when Foley resigned from the facility in July, the two continued the workouts in Foley’s three-car garage.

In just several months’ time, the 5-foot-10 Isbell went from 165 pounds to about 190. He shaved his 40 time from a 4.64 last year to 4.44. His vertical jump climbed to 37½ inches.

“He front-squatted 325 pounds,” Foley said. “I’ve never had a high school kid squat so much, and he was only 16 at the time. There’s a kid, I think, with tremendous potential.

“I worked with (Oklahoma safety and Eastlake graduate) Tony Jefferson, and he was a great athlete, but he wasn’t as accomplished as this kid became in the weight room in four, five, six months. Jude, athletically, is just very dynamic.”

Isbell, who says he has no reservations for contact after missing three games last year with a concussion, carries high goals for the season. The team opens its campaign at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Helix.

The primary focus is on short-term goals, but he hopes the Titans ultimately end up at Qualcomm Stadium and win the program’s second San Diego Section Division I championship in three years.

After that, it’s on to college, where the player who’s fashioning his hair after Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews can fulfill his vision in a Division I uniform.

“He’s an eclectic guy off the field,” head coach John McFadden said.

“On the field, he’s just an animal. He knows how to turn it on ... Great kid. Great family. The college that gets him is going to be really lucky.”